Teaching Blog
Welcome to the blog. Take a look around.
Below you will find posts on string and vocal technique, as well as various aspects of classroom and private teaching, music theory, and any other subjects that might arise as a result of my years of teaching and performing experience. Some posts are geared toward music teachers, others toward students, but almost all of them will have good information for musician (if I do say so myself).
Upper String Scale Introduction
I have always loved scales. They are the first thing I try to figure out whenever I am handed an unfamiliar instrument. Because of my obsession with them I have found, modified, and invented many different ways to practice them. As a teacher, I love them because they can be used to work many different aspects of…
Quantifying the Breath - Exercises for Breath Control
In my experience breath control is the first thing to deteriorate if I am not singing regularly. Unfortunately teaching voice lessons and running choral rehearsals is not really singing regularly, despite what people may think. I first noticed this when one of my voice students was working a piece I had sung on my senior recital. I had difficulties making phrases that had...
Basics of Breath
The breathing that is required for singing is very different than the breath needed for everyday conversation. Talking does not require very much air, so we can (and usually do) breathe very shallowly, using only the top part of our lungs. Singing requires much more air than talking to get a good sound, so we have to change the way that we breathe to gain good vocal technique. Continue reading